Sega Racing Studio to be closed down

Sega Racing Studio closed

Michael French Today, 5:00pm


UK driving game team shut down by parent firm, according to our
sources

Sega's UK-based Racing Studio has been closed, Develop understands.

According to a former staff member from the studio, the Solihull-based
outfit has shut down effective immediately.

Sega Racing Studio had so far developed just one game, its PS3/360 and
PC remake of Sega Rally. Released in September 2007, the game debuted
to fairly good reviews (with an average score around 75 according to
Metacritic), but less stellar sales.

The studio was founded in 2005 to help Sega establish a racing game
team that drew on the UK development sector's heritage in the genre.
Former Codemasters man Guy Wilday was picked to run the studio which
in time grew to include over 60 staff working on multiple projects,
including the Rally remake and purported new racing IP.



And it's not yet clear if the staff at the studio are being made
redundant or offered the chance to move to one of Sega's other UK
studios (The Creative Assembly and Sports Interactive) or what the
fate of the games still in development may be.

(Of course, those racing specialists at the studio probably won't find
it hard to get work at other studios. The UK is filled with racing
teams, such as Codemasters, Black Rock, Bizarre Creations, Eutechnyx,
Evolution, Reflections, Sony Liverpool and Criterion.)

Sega's reasoning for the closure is not yet known. Reps from Sega UK
had not returned our call for comment at the time of publication.

http://www.developmag.com/news/29598...huts-its-doors



http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?op...870&Ite mid=2
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/new...hp?story=18182
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/30132/Sega...-Racing-Studio
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6188941.html